Every person carries a story, memories and hardships. Through the Female Forward project, we had the opportunity to meet women who found the strength to reclaim their future. A. is one of the many women who managed to stand on her feet again. Her journey offered us valuable life lessons of persistence, resilience, and inner strength. Her presence is a reminder of what a woman can achieve when she finds herself in a supportive environment.
A. was living at the Temporary Accommodation Site for Asylum Seekers in Vagiochori, one of the three sites where the Female Forward team visits weekly to conduct activities and information sessions. One such session gave A. the chance to reveal her talent in painting and opened a window into her personal story as a refugee from Kuwait.
It was a Wednesday in April when the Female Forward team held a day of discussion and empowerment titled: “How We See Women”. On the table were papers, paints, brushes, and clay, materials inviting women to express themselves freely and creatively. A. began to draw, and gradually, the image forming on the page took shape, sparking questions, thoughts, emotions, even silence, around the table.
Her artwork depicted a mother with one hand “drowning” her daughter and with the other lifting up her son. A harsh image, speaking to patriarchy and oppression, which -as she explained- are not only passed on by men, but can be transmitted from generation to generation, even from woman to woman. That drawing became the starting point for a powerful conversation and the sharing of her personal story, one that was far from easy.
A. lived in Kuwait with her family, who belong to the Bidoon tribe. As she explained, members of this community experience daily oppression and invisible violence by the state. “We are ghosts”, she said, describing the deep sense of abandonment they feel.
Because they are denied legal identity documents, Bidoon individuals are stripped of basic human rights including access to public services, even healthcare. Due to this, A. gave birth to her second child at home, without access to medical care. The baby was born with complications and needed urgent medical attention. Her husband ran to nearby hospitals seeking help, but none of them would accept or treat them, as they lacked official documents. A few hours later, he returned home holding their child, lifeless, in his arms. “I didn’t even get to hold it once.” A phrase that hits like a punch to the gut.
Years later, A. became pregnant again. Fear and memories haunted her. Together with her husband, they made a painful but life-saving decision: to leave Kuwait and search for a safer future for themselves and their children. A. arrived in Greece in October 2024, seven months pregnant, accompanied by her 10-year-old daughter and her husband.
Despite everything she has endured, A. brought optimism, support, solidarity, and hope to all women involved in Female Forward. Painting is her passion and the channel through which she expresses her inner world. Even when she couldn’t afford materials, nothing stopped her: she used disposable paper cups as sketchpads, a toothbrush as a brush, and made paint out of toothpaste and spices, creating truly unique works of art.
When she joined the project, she found a safe space for expression and the tools to keep creating. Her paintings are not just artistic creations. They are a statement, a call for reflection, reconsideration, and change. Through her story and her colors, we were able to see the world through her eyes.
Thank you, A., for everything.
*The project “Female Forward • together for women’s inclusion” has a 12-month duration (7/2024 – 6/2025) and is funded by the Kahane Foundation. Through the project, we promote the values of inclusion, equality and acceptance of diversity and well-being.